Liz and Kelli Come to Town

Liz Crowley (left) and Kelli Grant, both class of 2004, came to town for the Apple Harvest Festival earlier this month. Stephanie and I, along with this year’s editor in chief Erin Geismar and last year’s EIC Erica Hendry joined them for lunch at the Lost Dog. Kelli is a former Ithacan news editor and special projects manager; Liz was chief copy editor and managing editor. Here’s what they’re up to:

Kelli celebrated her third year at SmartMoney.com in June, and was recently promoted to senior consumer reporter. Her “Deal of the Day” column continues to be the most-read column on the site. “Writing about personal finance in this crazy economy has been challenging (lots of late-night calls with my editors to dump the next day's story for one addressing breaking news), but it's nice to know that our advice on cutting grocery bills or finding the best bank deals is actually making a difference in readers' day-to-day finances.”
She’s also appearing frequently on television. In addition to her weekly SmartMoney TV “3 Tips” videos, she’s a regular guest on CNN Headline News, CBS Up to the Minute, NBC Weekend Today in New York and the local CBS weekend morning show. On the freelance side of things, she has regular gigs with Good Housekeeping and Family Circle, as well as a few trade magazines.
“The big news, though, is something I hope to have wrapped up soon. I've been working on a book proposal about personal finance for recent college grads. Several editors have already expressed interest, and I'm just tweaking the sample chapters before sending everything out the door. In other words, I'm still crazy-busy. Business as usual.”

As for Liz, she’s in her second year as a proofreader and copywriter for Facts On File, a reference publishing company in Midtown Manhattan.
“I’m happy to say that my nerdy grammar knowledge is appreciated. I moved to New York City after graduation to earn a master’s in world history from New York University (’06), and I hope to teach all subway conductors that ‘last and final stop’ is redundant. Kelli and I are slowly making our way to restaurants where former Top Chef contestants now cook.”

The Latest on Lovell

I asked Andrew Lovell what he's been up to since he graduate in May, and here's what he had to say:

"I am working as a sports writer/sports copy editor for the New Britain Herald in New Britain, Conn. When I'm not in the office laying out pages, editing stories, etc., I'm out covering local sports. New Britain is only 10-15 minutes from the Hartford area, so there is actually quite a bit going in our coverage area.
"I have covered everything from little league baseball games this summer, to high school football games, to a professional hockey camp run by a local physical trainer. I am working on a feature on a former local football player that is now in his fifth season in the NFL. They have also given me a weekly column of sorts, in that every week I report on a handful of kids playing college sports that used to play at high schools in our coverage area."
So there's hope, people: There are still jobs out there for those of you who have the talent and the drive. Andrew did a great job last year improving the writing and the overall quality of the sports section. The Herald is lucky to have him.

Margie is a Mom

Margie (Obreza) Chetney ’99, former Ithacan sports editor, and her husband Matt welcomed their first child, a daughter, on Sept. 7, 2008. Haylee Ann Chetney was 8 pounds, 10 ounces and 20.5 inches long. Matt and Margie live in Syracuse, where Margie has worked for The Post-Standard newspaper for 9 years, since graduating from IC. After 4 years as a sports copy editor, Margie was promoted to assistant features editor and now oversees the production duties and copy desk for the features/entertainment/CNY department. She can be reached at mobreza1@hotmail.com.